Automatic Offsite Backup

How to copy a backup archive

Your CrashPlan backup archives may be copied between computers provided special care is taken. Why would you do this?

  • Save time and bandwidth backing up off-site by first "seeding" your backup over the local area network.
  • Change backup destination computers without forcing your friends to backup all over again
  • Quickly establish off-site backup to multiple destinations with a common baseline
  • Backup the backup, perhaps to manually take off-site

Step 1: First backup

To create a backup archive in the first place, simply backup from a source computer to destination. In this example, 50GB has been copied from Computer A to computer B. Note that computer A's identity is 254038332041330946 and it's archive is stored on Computer B in a folder aptly named "254038332041330946". This step is listed for completeness, odds are, you've already got a backup somewhere! So typically you only need to identify where the archive is.

The easiest way to find an archive is to select the friend (or one of your computers) and once selected, you'll see where their archive is stored. Click the link to see the location. If there is no numbered folder there, it is because no backup has occurred.

Step 2: Create Placeholder archive

Once you've identified where your backup archive is, you need to setup a new location before copying the archive it's new home. Install CrashPlan on a second computer, and begin backing up to it from the source computer. You only need to let it run for a few seconds, that is sufficient for it to "seed" an archive folder. Once you see a folder, pause the backup at the source computer

Step 3: Replacing placeholder archive with the real thing

Now that you have a placeholder folder located on computer C, simply replace the contents of your placeholder archive with your original. In this example, we're copying our 50GB archive on top of the very small placeholder. Stop the CrashPlan backup engine before copying.

Step 4: Resuming backup

Once the archive is fully copied and in place, you can resume backup on the source computer. Computer A will sense there is a new archive at C, and will automatically synchronize. This step can take several minutes if there is a lot of data. Once synchronization is complete, only new data will be sent to destination C, adding to the already established archive saving valuable time and bandwidth.

Please note, Computer A is backing up to B, and now C! You have efficiently double the number of backup destinations. If you only wish to use your new destination C, then simply uncheck "use this destination" on Computer A for Destination B. Your data will be removed from destination B and no future backups will occur.

Congratulations!

You've learned how to leverage one of the more powerful features of CrashPlan.